Punch One: The Composite Made, Solar Powered Car

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The Bio-based composite Made, Solar Powered Car from Belgium.

Something of a mouthful, isn’t it? But trust us when we say that Punch One is one heck of a machine. This solar powered car comes from the Punch Powertrain Solar Team at the University of Leuven, Belgium, and it is a modern marvel, all the way from components to design.

The materials themselves came from a partnership between the Belgian companies Cardolite Corp, and Solvay S.A., along with the UK based SHD Composite Materials Ltd. The car features a 95% bio-based novolac resin that uses the latest cashew nutshell liquid technology.(Composites World has a great article on just what kind of materials went into the Punch One.)

Brand New Design

The Punch One also marks the team’s first asymmetrical car, a design that has allowed the team to cut wind resistance by 30%. Optimization in the production process also allowed the team to shave off 10kg of weight from previous models, along with making far more efficient solar panels.

“We are very happy with the result of the past months,” said Jarno Van Hemelen, Team Manager of the Punch Powertrain team, during a public unveiling of the car this past July. In attendance for the event was King Philippe of Belgium, who stood with the team for press photos during the event.

Of course, meeting the king was only the first accomplishment the Punch Powertrain team hopes to obtain this year. This October, Punch One will compete in Australia’s World Solar Challenge. The Punch Powertrain Solar Team will be just one of forty teams from all across the world who will compete during the event.

On October 18th, the teams will begin their journey from Darwin and travel the entirety of the interior of Australia (a distance of some 3,000 km!) before ending in Adelaide. Teams will have to move as fast as they can, until 5pm when they shall make camp at….well, wherever their car happens to get to.

So. excited to see what this bio-based, composite made, solar powered car can do? (Yep, still a mouthful.) Let us know your opinion in the comment below. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and twitter for the latest updates and news within Composite based Industries.